we haven't been a government of and by the people for at least a hundred years;

As Americans celebrated another July 4, notably the 250th anniversary of America’s founding – fireworks, barbeques, and revelry swelled as the country’s institutions congratulated themselves for their democratic resilience.

Yet with recent events, the contradictions are impossible to ignore.

Even as millions extolled the ideal of “government of the people”, those truly in charged flexed their power where it actually matters: in boardrooms, think tanks, and war rooms.

Unelected billionaires now dictate policy by text message. The Iran strikes were ordered without congressional oversight, justified by a decades-old war authorization passed a generation ago. America’s wealthiest donors and corporations funneled record sums into campaigns, shaping trends and decisions without most people even realizing it.

Leaked private messages between Larry Ellison and Elon Musk in 2022 revealed casual exchanges like: “A billion… or whatever you recommend” and “$250 M with no additional work required”, from Marc Andreessen.

These leaked messages offer rare, concrete evidence of billionaires coordinating massive financial moves by text – treating sums that could fund entire public programs as pocket change.

The military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last month were carried out without congressional approval. Sadly, this is nothing new and continues a longstanding trend of presidents exercising unilateral military authority............more........